Chapter 11

*static*

"-Personal Log 18: It's been a month since Lord Orochimaru has been tel- *static* I have no idea where he could've ended up anywhere. I have managed to convince the Hokage and Danzo that - *static* I'm not sure how long I can keep that up, though. The experiments with the- *static* -has caught the attention of Lord Danzo and so far were making some progress. Its the only thing helping me keep the ruse up. For now all I can do is try to track his location from the suit he was weari-

*static*

*static*

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You want us to be the ultimate of the 5 nations blah, blah, blah. Look, while I agree with you, th- *static* - could be very well for Konoha, or it could go horribly wrong! Besides, the research into Element 115 is going great! Have a little faith in Orochimaru."You're a fool to not invest more time in developing the army. We could be unstoppable and conquer the other nations!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You want us to be the ultimate of the 5 nations blah, blah, blah. Look, while I agree with you, th- *static* - could be very well for Konoha, or it could go horribly wrong! Besides, the research into Element 115 is going great! Have a little faith in Orochimaru."You're a fool to not invest more time in developing the army. We could be unstoppable and conquer the other nations!"

*static*


Present:

Gato watched the thugs he hired, loading the ships. Soon, he would have all the hidden villages paying him whatever he asked when they find out about his newest merchandise. He may not be the most tech savy, but even he realized the potential of an ultimate power source could stir up in the leaders of the villages. He chuckled at the thought. Fools, all they were worried about is having the title "strongest" hidden village. It made them easy to manipulate because they all had the same goal. His plan was to introduce it and give the highest bidder a decent supply. Good thing his workers found the rock when they did. It's one of the reasons he decided to take over the Land of Waves. He heard of an exotic material that crashed near the island centuries ago. Supposedly, there was a larger supply of this rock in the Uzushiogakure.

Speaking of the rock, he kept one on him at all times now. He hasn't had any side effects, so he's pretty sure it's safe. Even if it wasn't, he couldn't part from it. It was a beautiful looking thing. It always mesmerized him, and sometimes you could hear it hum. He had already started to use it himself. It replaced his power source back at his base of operations.

"Hear me."

Gato's head snapped up, and he instinctively tried to hide the rock. He looked around and saw that he was still relatively alone. Everyone was doing their jobs for once. "Probably just hearing things." he told himself. He's been mishearing a lot of things lately. "No, you are not hearing things. Im here speaking to you." Gato spun around, finding no one. Gato growled. "Where are you, punk?" he asked himself. "Waiting." "Waiting? Who even are you!?" he noticed a people were staring at him. He left before they could call him crazy. He stopped when the same voice chuckled before replying.

"Only through me can you find the answers you seek."


Gato and a few of his men were walking through the woods towards his mansion. They needed to be quick as the sun was beginning to set. He was instructed to do so by the voice he heard earlier. Whoever this voice was, they knew a lot about him. Way more than the public should know, and he couldn't let that informati get out or his company would start getting investigated. The voice pushed him to finish off the bridge builder quickly. He was already going to do it, but the voice made it seem like it had to happen. Not to stop the bridges construction, but to create something. The voice wouldn't say what would be created, but he would do it. Sure enough, he found them just like the voice said he would.

The ninja he hired were lying on the floor, covered in blood. Zabuza's bandages were completely red. The boy's pink kimono was now a dark shade of red with lots of tears around the leg area and back. He noticed their weapons like the giant sword or senbon needles had few blood on them. Either it was their blood or something else he didn't know. Whether or not they were alive didn't matter. He checked for a pulse and felt one. He should just kill them.

"No, no killing. Not yet."

"C'mon, let's take these two." 4 of the 8 men he took with him had gone to pick them up. As they did so, the two made a groan. Haku's eyes fluttered open every couple of minutes, trying to regain consciousness. "Sir, if you dont mind me asking, why do we need them alive?" Gato continued walking behind, looking at the 2 unconscious ninja. "Retun to my mansion and tell me what you find.. if you see anything strange, you let me know immediately!"

"That's a good lad. You shall gather me 2 more souls for the ritual to work. Father and daughter...Tazuna and Tsunami.."

"I see, I was already going to do that, so why are you interested in what I'm doing?" he asked himself quietly. This is ridiculous. Why is he even listening to a random voice in his head? "Hehe, lets just say the death of these four will be the catalysts for unlocking the key."

"The key?"

"Yes a very powerful key that could answer all your hearts desires." This got Gato's attention. "First we need to tend to these 2 before we gather the others."

So to get what he wanted he just needs to kill 4 people he was already planning to kill. Very well "Any ideas to speed up recovery?"

"A mixture of adrenaline, pain killers, medical herbs, and the element that you have uncovered. With some.. reconditioning, the bridge builder will be hunted down the next day."

"Reconditioning?"

"Yes, we'll need that fancy chair of yours. With some readjustments, they can be...repurposed"


3 days later:

"DOUBLE TIME BOYS AND WE'LL BE DONE WITH THIS BRIDE IS FINISHED TONIGHT!" Tazuna's loud order was met with cheers from the workers and the doezens of Naruto clones working on the bridge. Lots of puddles and construction equipment littered the floors. It's definitely a tripping or slipping hazard. As they worked, Kakashi sat on a pillar above them reading his book and keeping watch. Sakura was brushing Satsuki's hair, which she only allowed because said pinkette threatened to show everyone back home the picture of her cuddling up to Naruto. She didn't care what they thought. She just didn't want to deal with th teasing her mother, and Shisu-niisan would unleash on her. Plus, she didn't want to think about what her brother and his partner would say. Although if you asked her, they were definitely more than just that.

As for the blonde, he was over here, over there, up there, and... you get the picture. He was helping along with the construction. Everyone's spirits were high, all except Kakashi's. 'It's been almost 2 weeks since our last encounter. Zabuza and the hunter nin should be arriving soon.' As if reading his thoughts, a thick mist began to emerge. 'You just had to say something' his thoughts were broken, "Woah, what happened!" Naruto said outloud, getting everyones attention. Kakashi wasted no time in evacuating everyone along with his students. Tazuna however didnt seem fazed. "Oh come on, it's just a little mist, no harm done." They didn't acknowledge the man and just stared forward to the figures that emerged from the mist. Zabuza and the hunter nin appeared. However, they seemed to be dazed as Zabuza's eye's seemed to be unfocused. "Well, look who it is fancy seeing you here." Kakashi said while stepping forward.

"The builder.." Zabuza droned on. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. 'That doesn'tsound right." He thought as he put away his book and reached for his headband. "Aw, that's it? I spent so much time practicing my one-liners for this fight." Zabuza didn't reply and just took his sword out. The hunter nin stepped forward as well. "Sakura, you're our last line of defense. Defend Tazuna. I'll take Zabuza. Naruto, Satsuki, you teo handle the hunter. with a nod, they got into position. "Last chance for some back and forth?" Kakashi said, taking a fighting stance. "They're coming,"That was all kakashi heard before he was rushed by Zabuza, and his two students went to attack the hunter nin. Zabuza swiped at him, which was ducked by Kakashi. He punched Zabuza in the core, causing him to hunch over before he was hit with an upercut. Zabuza flinched before he grabbed the wrist and kneed Kakashi in the face before he elbowed him in the face. Zabuza continued by grabbing his sword and bringing it down on Kakashi, who barely managed to block it with a kunai. Redirecting the blade, Kakashi backhanded Zabuza hard enough cause bis body to jerk to the side. He kicked the demon of the mist away before he rushed at the man.

Zabuza grabbed the copy nin by his throat and slammed him into the ground. He looked up and saw the glow of the Sharingan. Kakashi had Zabuza where he wanted him. He made eye contact with him. It seems he didn't learn from before. "I can't stop!" Kakashi heard Zabuza say. "What does that mean?" Zabuza tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about." he droned out. Kakashi didn't know what to think before he heard the man speak again. "Kill me!"

"What the fuck?"


Naruto and Satsuki stared at the hunter nin across from them. He wasn't moving. His baggy clothes made it hard to see the rise and fall of his chest from breathing. He was so still, so quiet, almost as if he was a statue. It unerved Naruto. Satsuki, however, didn't share this feeling and charged in. She went for a stab at his chest, but it was deflected by a senbon. Satsuki twirled around and went for a kick towards her opponent's head. The hunter nin ducked under the kick and swept her leg, brimging her down. Before he could capitalize on his advantage, he had to block a punch from blonde. Some bruising was to be expected. Naruto threw 3 more punches before attempting to kick him away, which were all dodged with relative ease. He threw a punch that was redirected before an elbow was dropped on his back, knocking him to the ground.

The hunter nin leaned back to avoid a high kick from the ravenette. She threw another kick at his leg, which was dodged via a jump from the masked nin. As he jumped, he kicked the Uchiha in the chin, sending her in the air. The hunter nin grabbed her leg and threw her into the blonde, who caught her and used his body to cushion her fall. They both stood up instantly. "This guy is fast!" Naruto growled out in frustration. Satsuki nodded her head at this they could barely keep up, Naruto especially. He was the hardest hitter in the team when it came to the genin. However, she knew from previous spars that he wasn't the fastest. They didn't get much time for a breather as a hail of senbom needles flew towards them. Satsuki was quick to throw kunai to deflect them. She wasn't fast enough to get some of them, but she didn't have to worry because Naruto jumped in front of her and put his arms up, taking the hits for her.

"What are you doing idiot!" she hissed at the blonde. "Quick, plan, now!" he responded, removing the senbon. She thought for a second before answering. "I'll go low." was all she said before they both charged in. Naruto threw a right hook, which was blocked by the hunter nin before he jumped back to avoid a leg sweep from Satsuki. They didn't give him time to breathe, as Sastuki was once again on him attempting to punch him in the gut, which he managed to block. He immediately ducked a haymaker from Naruto, which he barely managed to avoid. He grabbed the blonde and threw him back before he blocked a kick to his shin by the Uchiha. He grabbed her shoulders and brought a knee into his chest before punching her in the face, causing some saliva to out of her mouth. She fell down and immediately rolled out of the way from a stomp aimed at her head.

This went on for a couple of seconds, the two struggling to land a blow while the hunter nin did everything he could to prevent himself from being overwhelmed. A kunai was thrown at him, which he dodged as it flew by him it exploded in a poof of smoke. The hunter nin backflipped to avoid a barrage of kunai from behind, not noticing another has been thrown to where he would land. He was expecting a bit of it, after all, he saw this same move being used almost a week ago. An exploding tag placed where he landed was a new one. The explosion threw him off balance as he managed to escape the blast. Before he could recover, he was punched in the face hard by orange clad shinobi. His body jerked with the force of the punch into the heel of Satsuki's kick, which caused him to twirl around into another punch from Naruto. They were relentless. Every punch or kick threw his body into another one, continuing the barrage. However, as painful as it was, he was able to determine a pattern. High punch, gut punch, knee to the face, elbow to the back, low kick, repeat.

Haku grabbed a punch from Satsuki, it didnt stop the orange clade ninja from landing his blow, but he gave him enough time to break the combo. He pushed her away before he took another blow from Naruto before he pulled him towards him and threw an open palm towards his chest. He quickly went through hand signs faster than they could read. "Ice style: 1000 Needles of Death!" The water around them floated up before they took the form of needles and froze over. The duo immediately threw themselves out of the way to avoid getting impaled via ice spikes. They stabbed into the ground they once stood on. "You're..stronger than anticipated." The hunter nin droned out. The Uzumaki and Uchiha looked at each other, confused about the tone of voice. This was the same sophisticated sounding hunter nin?

"You...won't...h-hel...defeat...us." That stopped Naruto a bit, which was enough hesitation for the new to threw more senbon at him. The blonde deflected what he could and dodged the rest. Satsuki jumped over Naruto and attempted to deliver a kick, which was barely blocked by the hunter. He wasn't expecting a tackle from the blonde who took him down and started pounding away at his face like some sort of brute. Haku quickly threw him off of him by bucking his hips upwards, causing Naruto to stop himself from falling forward, which resulted in a punch to the abdomen. He tossed him to the side and pushed off the ground to kick Satsuki in the chest, which sent her flying back. Before he could stand, Naruto grabbed his arm and yanked him back down and punched him twice in the face before Haku went through a series of one-handed hand seals as he blocked Naruto's punches. "Enough of this. Ice style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

The water around them once again formed around them into a dome of 21 ice mirrors. The two genin stoof on shock at what had just formed around them. Haku used their shock to break away from them, entering one of the mirrors before his reflection appeared on all of them. "This..is..my..ultimate.. technique.. I'm so sorry...this..is..the..end."


The sounds of blows being exchanged echoed through the empty bridge. The clang of metal against metal was heard as well frightening the builder. He looked at the pink haird girl in front of him. Sakura was nervous. What should she do? How can she help? She started taking deep breaths."Ok, think. Your priority is to keep the bridge builder safe. Maybe getting him out of here would help. Yeah, that would totally work!" she steeled her nerves and whispered to the client. "Tazuna, let's get you out of here." he nodded at that. She began to lead him away from the fighting. They stopped at the sight of all the previous worker's that were being evacuated off the bridge. All of them were dead. Zabuza walked out of the mist slowly, his arms hanging low the sword on his back. "You're..not.. leaving.." he droned. Sakura started to panic. Did her sensei lose? The sounds of battle behind her continued."Ice Style: 1000 Needles of Death!" She heard the sounds of a jutsu being cast along with more metal against metal coming from two parts of the bridge. "A water clone." Sakura had deduced quickly. It didn't moce from its postion. Maybe he was just a countermeasure?

That was stupid."Why don't you just kill us, huh?" she shouted at the clone. It didn't respond or flinch at all. He just stood there, dazed. She threw a kunai at the clone, which took the hit and dispersed. Shortly after it reformed, it was still looking dazed. She stepped forward, and once she got close enough, the clone swung again. Once she was out of range, it stopped moving again. "Need...kill...now..." it droned again. This wasn't the bloodthirsty man who was enjoying striking fear into their heart, this was a husk that was being controlled. "What's the end game?" she asked the clone. "Chair..pain..sacrifice.." What did that mean? She looked at the clone once again in confusion. She shook her head and reassessed the situation. The clone was blocking the path off the bridge to safety but wouldn't come to them, only reacting when within a certain range. "And what he was saying, it doesn't make sense."

"Ice Style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

She heard the hunter nin throw out another jutsu before the screams of pain from her teammates reached her ears. They were in trouble. Tazuna watched as the girl looked towards the screams of the others and back at the clone blocking the path. Her panic started to grow as she didn't know what to do. The only thing that seemed to do anything was asking questions to the clone. It was responsive even if it was slow robotic and cryptic. She could try to figure out his angle. "Is this man's life really something you can put a price on?"

"What are you doing he doesn't care he just killed-" Tazuna was immediately cut off by the hushing of Sakura. "I know that but hes actimg odd maybe i could stall him from killing you." Sakura said in a harsh whisper. The clone was silent for a bit before it spoke, "Need..money..terrible..things.." this made Sakura narrowed her eyes at this. "So you need the moneh to do terrible things is that it?" Another pause before it shook its head, "Mansion..rock..sick..escape.." This did nothing to help her understand what it was trying to say but it didn't matter, it was stalling the clone. A loud roar echoed throught the bridge along with a strong feeling of bloodlust filled the area. Sakura and Tazuna started to sweat and tremble at the feeling thag emerged. She heard the sound of glass shattering before another roar was hard, followed by the distorted voice of her knucklehead teammate.

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING HERE ALIVE!"


And another one up. I'm not sure how long till the next one is up. Besides that i hope you enjoy tell md what you think. I own nothing blah blah blah